Obituary: Ryan James Gillaspie

Obituary%3A+Ryan+James+Gillaspie

Ryan James Gillaspie, age 41, went to be with his Lord and Savior on Monday, December 19, 2022, in Waco at Baylor Scott and White Hospital. Ryan had been battling Juvenile diabetes, along with some other health issues for some time now; he is finally resting in peace. A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 pm on Saturday, December 31, 2022. at the Reconciled Church in Itasca with Pastor Arthur Mozon officiating. After the service, there will be a dinner at the church for friends and family.

Ryan was born February 23, 1981, in Cleburne, Texas to Colie Gillaspie and Kathy Weaver. His ancestry, family history, and genealogy were Cherokee Indian and Bohemian Nations, something Ryan was very proud of.  He grew up in Itasca, where Ryan met the love of his life, Stephanie Savala at her Grandpa’s Tire Shop, there in Itasca. They were together for over 20 years, sharing and raising 2 beautiful children, Eli and Emily Gillaspie and Nicole Johnson from Wichita, KS. He loved just spending time with the kids teaching them things or in the shop. He spent over 25 years working with A&B Manis Company in Hillsboro. Ryan also liked trying new recipes/cooking, and sometimes it would be some of the oddest stuff too, he also enjoyed going fishing and playing his guitar.

Ryan loved being a mechanic, I think it runs in the family, and I am sure he learned a lot from his Uncle Billy & Uncle Marty.  Then there was his brother, Casey, Ryan went from learning to be a mechanic to teaching his younger brother everything he knew. They loved this time together. Being a mechanic runs in the family, and it will stay in the family forever.  He loved it so much, he would go out of his way to help anyone that was having an issue with their vehicle; it did not matter the time or how long he would be there either, he would be there.  But then there would be Stephanie, “Ryan omg your phone is always ringing”, and he would be trying to diagnose people’s cars. Stephanie would call him the (Car Doctor), and she eventually learned to live with it.  If you wanted to find him back in the day, it was more likely under the hood of a car or sitting inside the trunk where the motor was.

Then there were the classic cars that he could not stop talking about, if he could of, he would have bought them all and restored them to their finest, but for sure driving way faster than they should too. Then there is the Bass Music group out of Ft. Worth he really loved hanging out with these guys, and playing music, they would be basing out so loud, it would make the people around them so mad. Ryan grew very close friendships with them, just like they were family.

He is preceded in death by his father, Colie Gillaspie; grandparents, Joan and Delmar Gillaspie, and M.L. Grisham; godfather, Billy Warren AKA (Billy Wayne); uncle, Noland Laramore; and cousin, Travis Casey Cockerham.

Ryan is survived by the love of his life, Stephanie Savala; children, Nicole, Eli, and Emily; mother, Kathy Weaver; stepfather, Raymond Weaver; grandparent, Doris Grisham; brother, Casey Gillaspie; sisters, Nena Gillaspie, Cecelia Gillaspie, and Tanar Frank; along with many uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews, many lifelong friends from the Hill County area that were like family, and one best friend of 25 years Ali Soureshjani, of Mulvane, Kansas.

Ryan- you are gone too soon, and you will be missed by so many; We Love You.